Millions bottle of people travel by airline every year. In the calendar year of 2015, data indicates that almost 900 million people traveled by air both domestically and internationally. This equates to approximately 400 million pieces of checked baggage accompanying the fliers. Many individuals experience the loss of their luggage either permanently or when it is delayed as a result of the luggage not being placed on the same flight as the traveler. When the luggage is permanently lost, the airline responsible for the loss must reimburse the traveler. Some reports show that the airlines have spent a combined annual total of almost 4 billion dollars in lost baggage reimbursement fees. The cost of the aforementioned lost luggage reimbursement fees is a significant burden to the profitability of the airline industry and remains one of the top dis-satisfiers for airline travelers.
One issue with the current baggage system is the lack of the ability to effectively track baggage to a precise location intermediate the conventional checkpoints that exist in the current system. Existing technology leverages barcode scanning to input the checked luggage bag into the system for departure on a scheduled flight. The luggage has placed thereon a paper tag having a barcode that is scanned at initial check-in and additionally scanned prior to loading on a plane. Paper tags can easily become removed and or damaged by either inclement weather on the tarmac or luggage belts and conveyor systems that are used to transport the luggage within an airport facility. Many times an airline traveler will report a lost luggage bag and the airline is unable to determine the location of the luggage bag due to the aforementioned circumstances.
Accordingly, there is a need for a luggage identification and location system that can provide precise geographic coordinates of the checked luggage and is further operable to provide the traveler's travel history and contact information.